When Tragedy Strikes: Remembering Chapecoense's Accident
By: Daniel Duque
Playing the final round of an international club competition is something every soccer team longs for. Every year different club competitions are take place around the world including the second most important tournament of South America: Copa Sudamericana. The 2016 edition of this tournament saw for the first time the rise of a not well-known Brazilian team called Chapecoense, they managed to defeat stronger clubs making it to the final round against all odds. The final could not be played; Chapecoense's squad suffered a plane crash that ended with the lives of most of the players.
About Chapecoense
Chapecoense squad during the tournament.
Photo courtesy of DW
The club was founded in 1973 by the name of Associação Chapecoense de Futebol. They first competed in Brazil's first division tournament in 1978 finishing 51st. After spending most of the time in lower divisions, the team would return to first division in 2014 after 35 years of absence.
After being promoted, Chapecoense managed to keep their spot in the maximum division for another year and in 2016 they qualified for their first international competition, the Copa Sudamericana.
Chapecoense made history by qualifying to the final after defeating the Argentine club San Lorenzo during the semi-final round after a heroic save from goalkeeper Danilo.
The Accident
LaMia flight 2933 crash site.
Photo courtesy of BBC
Chapecoense was meant to travel to the city of Medellin in Colombia to play the first match of the final round against their rival, Atletico Nacional. The flight they used to Colombia was the services of Bolivian charter airline, LaMia, which was known for transporting other teams including Argentina's national team.
On Nov. 28, 2016, Chapecoense's squad took a flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil to Santa Cruz, Bolivia for layover. At 18:18 local time, LaMia flight 2933 took off from Santa Cruz to Medellin with a planned stop at Bogota for refueling to arrive safely to their destination. However, the flight's captain Miguel Quiroga decided to ignore the stop at Bogota to save time and to avoid the fueling costs.
During the approach to Medellin the pilot of the aircraft reported an electrical failure and low fuel. Flying at a low altitude and running out of fuel fast, the crew was not able to make it to their destination and at 21:55 local time LaMia flight 2933 disappeared from the radars. The plane had crashed into a mountain called Cerro Gordo and only 71 out of the 76 occupants survived. Three players from Chapecoense's squad survived along with a flight attendant, a Brazilian journalist and an employee working for LaMia.
Aftermath and Memorials
Memorial hosted by Atletico Nacional to honor the 71 victims.
Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated
Shortly after learning about the accident, South America's confederation CONMEBOL suspended all activities including both matches of the final round that were scheduled for Nov. 30 and Dec. 7. Chapecoense's rival Atletico Nacional decided to give up the title and award it to the Brazilian club to honor them, an action that awarded the Colombian team with the FIFA fair play award. The day the first match had to be played, Atletico Nacional hosted a memorial to the victims in their home stadium.
On Dec. 5 Chapecoense was officially announced as the champion of the 2016 edition of the Copa Sudamericana and it was granted a spot in the 2017 Copa Libertadores. All around the world the victims of the accident were honored before a game started and messages of solidarity were sent to the team as well as assistance from different clubs that offered free player loans so they could keep competing.
In Aug. of 2017, Spanish club FC Barcelona hosted a friendly match to play against Chapecoense as a fundraiser to help the team recover from the accident. The match ended 5-0 in favor of Barcelona, but 250,000 euros were gathered to help the Brazilian club as well as a memorial for the victims and a round of applause for the survivors.
Chapecoense's Current Situation
Chapecoense players mourning their relegation in 2019.
Photo courtesy of Goal.com
After the accident, the Brazilian team kept on underperforming in every competition they played. The shortage of good results led the team to relegation at the end of the 2019 season of the Brazilian first division league. Despite their relegation they were promoted again at the beginning of 2021.
Chapecoense is currently in last place with only ten points which means they could be relegated again at the end of the season if they do not improve their performance.
Chapecoense had a promising squad that unfortunately passed away in a tragic accident. They will always be remembered as heroes by all soccer fans.